Changing Times: New Zealand Since 1945, by Jenny Carlyon and Diana Morrow (Auckland University Press $45): Much has been written about New Zealand’s attempts to find its place in the world as a fledgling nation and the role of rugby…
Category: NZ books
Another memorable effort from Kiwi author
Reach, by Laurence Fearnley (Penguin, RRP $38): Successful artist Quinn lives with Marcus, who left his wife for her and subsequently lost contact with his young daughter as a result of that breakup. Quinn is busily preparing for an upcoming exhibition,…
Sweet story with life lessons to boot
Little Truff and the Siamese Cat, by Ann Russell: The second of a planned trio of books featuring the cute Little Truff, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. My parents had a Cav: he was decidedly dizzy and even in old…
Excellent NZ fiction for teens
Night Vision, by Ella West (Allen & Unwin, RRP $19): Award-winning Mosgiel-based author, Ella West, was born in Invercargill and studied at the University of Otago. In her new thriller for younger readers, 14-year-old Viola has a genetic condition whereby…
We’re just crazy about our pets
Creature Comforts: New Zealanders and their Pets, by Nancy Swarbrick (Otago University Press, RRP $55): (Reviewed with help from Seymour and Norman) Kiwis tend to fall into two categories when it comes to our furry, feathered and/or scaled friends: we…
Insight into NZ’s head honcho
John Key: Portrait of a Prime Minister, by John Roughan (Penguin, RRP $38): There’s no doubt that Prime Minister John Key is a polarising figure in New Zealand politics. There really seems to be no middle ground: people either love…
High-flying Kiwis played important role in WW2
Victory: New Zealand Airmen and the Fall of Germany, by Max Lambert (HarperCollins, RRP $40): New Zealand pilots served in both the RNZAF and also the RAF during World War II, and this is an account of the heroic and…
■ REVIEW
Twenty Good Summers
NZ crime novel an edge-of-seat thriller
The Laughterhouse, by Paul Cleave (Penguin, RRP $38): Christchurch-born author Paul Cleave has turned out another cracking read in the latest book in the private investigator Theodore Tate series. Tate is an ex-cop now working as a private investigator who…
No second-guessing in book of firsts
Great Kiwi Firsts, by Astral Sligo (Allen & Unwin, RRP $25): Us Kiwis like being claiming firsts, and let’s be honest, there are plenty we can claim: first to scale Mt Everest, first to have to good sense to give…